LONDON — The family of late Australian conservationist and "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin are following in his footsteps with a new television show dedicated to their wildlife conservation work.

Crikey! It's the Irwins will follow Irwin's wife Terri and their two children, Bindi and Robert, looking after animals at their Australia Zoo in Queensland as well as heading out on various expeditions.

Irwin, who was watched by audiences around the world in his popular television programmes, died in 2006 after a stingray's serrated barb pierced his heart while filming off Australia's northern Great Barrier Reef.

"We are continuing on in dad's footsteps and everything that we do today at Australia Zoo and with our Wildlife Warriors work is exactly what he started," Bindi Irwin said of the family's conservation organisation in an interview for Reuters.

"In the show we'll have some amazing moments of reflecting on what he used to do, from feeding crocodiles to cuddling koalas. and then you'll see us doing the exact same things making sure that everything he loved the most carries on into the future."

Bindi Irwin, who has previously had her own television show, will be seen working at the zoo's wildlife hospital. Her brother said the family also takes trips abroad.

"Also we travelled to so many different places all over the globe," Robert Irwin said.

"We'll take you to Africa. We'll take you to the Great Barrier Reef. We'll take you up north to remote northern Queensland where we do our crocodile research. It's all about wildlife, it's all about conservation and fun as a family."

An average Indian's response to young, urban women having sex: *eye-roll* *is she married/who will marry her* *ugh, too much independence*

An average Indian's response to a 50-something mother-of-two having sex: *Runs to take a dip in the Ganges or whatever else helps purify the soul*

In Badhaai Ho, it's not just the woke, tech-savvy girls in their twenties, enabled by education and social media to exercise their agency, who are having sex. The protagonist of the film is Priyamvada, a middle-class, Hindi-speaking Indian woman in her 50s with two grown sons, who discovers she is pregnant.

Though it is nowhere close to the unabashed manner in which Alankrita Srivastav's Lipstick Under My Burkha dealt with an older woman's desire, Badhaai Ho does manage to question several mothballed stereotypes associated with sex and older women.

Priyamvada, essayed by a brilliant Neena Gupta, hardly fits the popular social stereotype of a woman with an active sexual life. Her hair is unkempt, she wears loose kurtas and boxy nighties, plays Tambola with other older women in the neighbourhood, prays fervently at jagratas and ticks none of the boxes that Bollywood's new, sexually liberated woman characters do.

The 'comedy' in the film, doubtless, hinges on an average Indian viewer's response to the idea of a couple nearing retirement expecting a baby. The trailer provided a glimpse of the hilarity that ensues when acquaintances and the couple's children find out about the pregnancy. In fact, everything comical in the film seems so because as a society, we find the notion of people, especially women, of a certain age having sex to be ridiculous. Curiously, while the film manages to get the laughs, the script never sides with the people mocking the pregnancy. The film's gaze, especially on Priyamvada, is unfaltering in its empathy.

The plot of the film couldn't be thinner: a woman in her 50s becomes pregnant and she and everyone around her try to come to terms with it. Yet, Badhaai Ho's director Amit Sharma manages to weave in some clever commentary on class and biases in it.

For starters, the film makes it evident that discomfort about a woman's sex life is not restricted to a certain class and isn't always alleviated by education. Priyamvada is a housewife who speaks chaste Hindi and no English. Her relatives are mostly from small-town Uttar Pradesh. The shock with which they react to her pregnancy is similar to the way in which her son's girlfriend's mother—a wine-sipping, English speaking, super rich South Delhi woman—does.

While everyone from Priyamvada's in-laws to her son (played by Ayushmann Khurrana) seem to be horrified by her pregnancy, she herself is mildly surprised but not aghast by it. When she is upset, it is by people's reactions, not by the pregnancy itself or the implication that she has an active sex life with her husband. Though the character's decision to not abort the foetus is unscientific—she says it is 'paap' or 'sin'—Priyamvada doesn't agonise over her decision to keep the child, even when she knows the social challenges that lie ahead. The ease with which Priyamvada embraces her pregnancy serves as a contrast to the shame, shock and betrayal people around her feel. The latter is a reminder of how ridiculous it is that society gets morally offended at women, seemingly on behalf of women.

The film also provides some sharp commentary on the vast difference in how older men and women are treated for having sex lives. After the news of Priyamvada's pregnancy, men rush to congratulate her husband and express wide-eyed admiration for his apparent sexual prowess. However, the women whisper and taunt Priyamvada for not having enough 'shame' or 'morals'. Initially, Priyamvada's mother-in-law also chastises her for wearing lipstick and thereby being 'sexual', even though she is the mother of two grown-up sons.

In the film's conclusion, people unwilling to accept that Priyamvada has a sex life finally confront their own stupidity. The ones who don't get chastised the way they deserve. Now that's what we call a modern-day fairy-tale.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has summoned the two top officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Rakesh Asthana and Alok Verma, amid their public fight over bribery and corruption allegations, said reports.

The CBI filed an FIR against special director Asthana on Sunday. Asthana had written to the government a few weeks ago accusing his boss CBI director Verma of corruption.

NDTV reported that CBI has also arrested an officer who worked with both Asthana and Verma.

Asthana wrote to the Cabinet Secretary and Central Vigilance Commission about 10 cases of alleged corruption and irregularities against Verma.

PTI reported that one of the cases pertained to Sathish Sana, a businessman facing a probe in a corruption case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi. Asthana had alleged on 24 August that Sana paid Rs 2 crore to Verma to get relief in the case.

Asthana had also alleged that Verma delayed his team's request to arrest Sana in the case.

The government referred the complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission, which is looking into it.

Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre officer, is the No. 2 official in CBI. The agency has now filed a corruption case against Asthana, his deputy superintendent of police Devender Kumar, and two alleged middlemen. PTI reported that the case has been filed on the basis of a statement by Sana that a bribe was paid to the middlemen to get relief from repeated questioning by Asthana's Special Investigation Unit.

SRINAGAR, Kashmir — The gun battle between three militants, believed to be members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Indian security forces lasted for seven hours, but most of the fatalities and injuries occurred in a massive explosion after the shooting had ended.

The cause of this explosion has triggered a fresh round of allegations, accusations and recriminations between security forces and Kashmiri youth on social media.

Hours after the explosion, social media sites were buzzing with a photoshopped image of the Jammu & Kashmir police Twitter handle claiming that the police had found a "simple way to keep the agitated youth away from encounter sites".

The J&K police has since issued a press release, stating that the image was from a fake twitter account.

Security forces have been nonplussed by civilians spontaneously streaming onto the sites of live encounters as a form of protest against the deployment of forces in the valley.

"Police has registered a case in this regard and investigation has begun," said Inspector General of Kashmir, Swayam Prakash Pani. "We will not tolerate any rumour mongering."

The fake tweet was a reference to a worrying trend in which security forces have been nonplussed by civilians spontaneously streaming onto the sites of live encounters as a form of protest against the deployment of forces in the valley.

A day later, HuffPost India spoke to witnesses and victims to find many willing to believe the rumour that the Indian Army was somehow responsible for the explosion.

Eight people, including a middle-aged mother of one of those injured, told HuffPost India that they believed the security forces were involved in the explosion—illustrative of the ever-deepening gulf of mistrust between Indian security forces and Kashmir's civilian populace.

The following account of the explosion, and its aftermath, encapsulates Kashmir's enduring tragedy. As winter closes in, and state and central elections beckon, many in the Valley fear an ever escalating spiral of violence, with no end in sight.

The explosion

Around 11 am on Sunday, about an hour after the encounter between the police and militants ended, Javaid Ahmed went looking for his younger brother so that the two could go to their apple orchard located in the Laroo area of Kulgam district.

Around the same time, 16-year-old Aqib Mir was on his way to the encounter site to which throngs of people were making their way to douse the fire at a house that was the main site of the gun battle.

Thirty-year-old Waseem was also in the crowd along with his friend, perhaps not far from where Aqib stood.

Suddenly a massive explosion ripped through the crowd, showering civilian bystanders with deadly shrapnel and debris.

"We are being told that government forces had planted the land mine in the area to inflict casualties," a family member of an injured local, told HuffPost India. The claim has been refuted by the police.

"All I saw was a massive ball of fire coming right at my face. There was a solid mass inside the fire. It knocked me right off my feet. The next thing I remember was waking up with blood oozing out of my nose. My friend's lifeless body was besides me. I stood on my feet and tried to move back towards the main street,where locals caught hold of me and put me in an ambulance," said Waseem, whose picture was splashed all over social media and local newspapers. His nose has been operated upon once at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital and he is currently awaiting doctors' recommendation for a possible eye surgery.

Waseem's bed in the hospital's Ward No. 8 is not far from that of Javaid, who has received pellet injuries in his left eye. "I was at least 2 km away from the encounter site when we heard the explosion. I assumed that the area was safe but suddenly security forces emerged from behind a wall and shot pellets among the crowd. I was hit in my eye. My younger brother is safe though," Javaid said.

While Waseem and Javaid seemed to have had a narrow escape, Aqib, a student of Class X, wasn't that lucky. From what his family told HuffPost India, the 16-year-old seemed to be the closest to the encounter site.

The teenager suffered grievous injuries on his head and abdomen and, according to hospital staff, had wounds similar to that made by bullets. After an eight-hour-surgery, Aqib's condition, doctors said was, stable.

"Aqib went to the site an hour after the encounter. He was not alone. Many others in the village went to see what had happened in the area," said his mother Daisy, who was waiting outside the intensive care unit.

What exactly transpired at the encounter site?

Several eyewitnesses who spoke to HuffPost India said on condition of anonymity that the government forces had left the area after the encounter, prompting them to believe the site had been sanitised.

The police's version of events isn't very different.

According to Harmeet Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Kulgam, a cordon was laid in the area at around 1 am on Sunday after receiving information about the presence of three militants. The gunfight broke out at around 3 am and by 10 am, the militants were gunned down

"After the encounter we recovered the bodies of the three militants. During the night, the militants had hurled multiple grenades at us, resulting in some injuries, so we knew there must be a lot of ammunition. We recovered the arms and ammunition," Singh told HuffPost India.

The senior officer claimed that soon after the encounter, protesting crowds gathered in the area.

"The house in which the encounter took place was on fire, which we had partly doused. The temperature was extremely high and is was impossible for us to sanitise the site. To avoid civilian casualties, we pulled out from the area and requested the people not to go near the encounter site. That is when the explosion took place," Singh said.

The claim, however, was countered by locals who were present in the area. They told this correspondent that no such warning was given by the police.

"We did warn them," Singh said. While police claimed that it isn't aware of where or what the explosive device was, locals seem to have made up their mind that the device was put there on purpose.

"We will find out what the device was. An investigation has been initiated,"said SSP Singh.

Many deaths, and ambiguity

Just like there isn't much clarity on the nature of the explosive device, ambiguity also shadows how over 40 people were injured within minutes.

Seven people were killed—some died on the spot and others succumbed on the way to hospitals in south and central Kashmir.

"There were people lying around in their own blood. Sharp steel and wooden objects pierced into the bodies of those around the site. Some had ripped abdomens and others had missing fingers. It was hell," said Nadeem, another resident of the area.

Bilal, an ambulance driver, made at least three trips carrying the injured."The ambulance was covered with blood. One individual that I got had part of his brain hanging out of his head," he said.

Late Sunday evening, Sanjay Tickoo, president of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), also questioned the sequence of events in Kulgam.

"It is mandatory for security forces to sanitise the area where encounter happens to safeguard the lives of the civilians. It seems that the security forces take these basic things casually, which resulted in today's incident...," Tickoo said on Sunday, soon after the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a conglomerate of separatist leaders, called for a shutdown on Monday. KPSS supported the shutdown call given by the JRL members.

On Sunday, after the encounter, local police issued a statement requesting locals not to visit any encounter site until it had been sanitised by the bomb disposal team.

A senior police officer, however, claimed that stone-pelting had started during the encounter, in which some civilians were injured.

"Why are people going to the encounter site? It can take hours for the authorities to sanitise the area. What was the need for the people to go there?" the officer said. He added that bomb disposal units from the J&K police, CRPF and the Rashtriya Rifles, all of whom were involved in the encounter, were planning to send their bomb disposal units back to the encounter site.

Meanwhile, while the Valley on Monday witnessed multiple violent clashes between government forces and civilians, the situation at least in central and north Kashmir had stabilised by the evening. South Kashmir, however, remains tense, officials said, adding that restrictions might be put in place on Tuesday as well.

NOIDA — Two Paytm employees, including a woman, were among three persons arrested on Monday for allegedly trying to extort Rs 20 crore from the e-wallet giant's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma after threatening to leak stolen personal data and information, the Noida Police said.

The arrested woman, who allegedly masterminded the extortion bid, is Sharma's secretary. The trio had threatened to leak data and misuse information to cause the firm loss and dent its public image, officials said.

The three employees of the Noida-headquartered e-commerce and wallet firm were arrested late Monday afternoon by a team from the Sector 20 police station, while their fourth accomplice is still at large, a senior official said.

According to the police, those arrested are Sharma's woman secretary (identity withheld), her husband Roopak Jain and another Paytm employee Devnedra Kumar. The fourth accused, Rohit Chomal, is a resident of Kolkata and had allegedly made the extortion call to Sharma's brother Ajay Shekhar Sharma.

The owner of Paytm had made a complaint with the police that their employees, a woman and her aides, had stolen some data from the company and were blackmailing. They were demanding Rs 20 crore for not leaking it, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ajay Pal Sharma said.

Taking immediate action on it, an FIR was registered and three persons, including the woman, arrested. They are being probed about the data and their modus operandi. Police will share the facts as they are unearthed, Sharma said.

The SSP said they will seek their custody to interrogate them further and gather more details. Police were not clear as to what kind of data was stolen.

He said that the local police are in touch with their counterparts in Kolkata to track down Chomal, who allegedly made the extortion call to Sharma's brother.

The FIR was registered at Sector 20 police station and the accused were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 381 (theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master), 384 (extortion), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 420 (cheating), 408 (Criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant) and 120 B (party to a criminal conspiracy).

Charges under the provisions of the Information Technology Act have also been pressed against the accused, the police said.

When contacted, Paytm confirmed in a statement that the Noida Police have arrested three people, including one female employee of Paytm, in the case of extortion.

The employee along with two other accomplices attempted to extort money from Vijay Shekhar Sharma on the pretext of leaking his personal data.

We are standing by our colleagues till the police enquiry reaches its meaningful conclusion, the company said.

AMRITSAR/MUZAFFARPUR — Amid a blame-game over the Amritsar tragedy, a case was filed in a Bihar court on Monday holding organisers of the Dussehra event and chief guest Navjot Kaur Sidhu responsible for mowing down of several revellers by a passing train, while the NHRC served notices to the Railways and the Punjab government.

Congress MP Sunil Jakhar and Punjab minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, however, came forward in defence of Sidhu and sought to put the blame on the Railways for the tragic incident in which nearly 60 people, including migrants from Bihar, died while watching the Dussehra celebrations from across the tracks on Friday evening.

A similar petition was filed by an advocate on Monday in the Punjab and Haryana High court, seeking a probe by the CBI or a special investigation team. Dinesh Kumar Dakoria, the petitioner, too has blamed the event organisers for the tragedy.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who has gone to Israel, reviewed the situation through video-conference with the state government officials and asked them to expedite the process of providing relief and compensation to the families of those dead and to the injured.

People angry over the train accident had pelted stones and clashed with security personnel on Sunday. They sat on the railway tracks, where the accident happened, and protested. They were later removed by authorities.

During the review meeting, the officials also told Singh that all victims, except one, had been identified.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, meanwhile, returned from the US, with officials attributing the delay in his return to non-availability of tickets and problem of connecting flights.

Goyal, who had gone to the US for an award ceremony, had said soon after the incident that he was cancelling all his engagements there to immediately return to India. On his arrival, Goyal was briefed about the latest developments regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Railways and the Punjab government, observing that it cannot be called a "sane act" for people to sit on railway tracks, but the "negligence on the part of the district authorities is apparent" as well in this "bizarre and horrific incident".

While it is rare for such a large number of revellers getting mowed down by a train in a single incident, nearly 50,000 people have lost their lives between 2015 and 2017 on railway tracks after being hit by trains, according to official data from the Indian Railways.

Detailed reports have been sought from the state's chief secretary and from the chairman of the Railway Board in four weeks, an NHRC spokesperson said.

"It seems that the local authorities and the organizers did not properly manage the crowd, gathered to watch the Dussehra celebrations. It was the responsibility of the State to provide proper safety and protection to the citizens during the event," the NHRC said while taking suo motu cognisance of media reports about the incident.

The railway authorities have stated that they cannot be blamed, as they were not informed about the event, while Punjab government has ordered a magisterial probe.

In distant Muzaffarpur, Bihar, a complaint case was filed in a court against Navjot Kaur Sidhu, seeking registration of a case against her.

The complaint claimed that Sidhu and organisers of the Dussehra event were solely responsible for the tragedy and the court should order a trial against her.

The case was filed by a social activist in a Chief Judicial Magistrate's court, which fixed November 3 as the date of hearing.

The complainant contended that a large crowd had gathered there due to Sidhu's presence and her emotive speech led to a surge in the crowd that spilled over to the railway track.

Besides, all the security personnel present at the venue were engaged in providing safety and security to Kaur, instead of controlling the crowd, members of which mere mowed down by a train near the Joda Phatak, when they were watching the burning of a Ravan effigy while standing on the railway tracks, the complaint said.

Hashmi alleged that Kaur, who was a doctor by profession, instead of helping the victims, fled the scene and made a false alibi that she was not present at the site when the accident occurred.

The footage of the incident shown on television had hurt him deeply, the complainant said, while praying for initiating a case against Kaur under Indian Penal Code sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) among others.

If held guilty, the accused could be sent to jail for three months to two years.

Amid calls from opposition parties Akali Dal and BJP for action against the Sidhu couple, Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa sought government job for family member of each victim who lost life in the incident.

Punjab minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, however, defended Kaur, saying she was not at fault and blamed the railway gateman for the incident. He also rubbished the Shiromani Akali Dal's demand of removing her husband Sidhu from the cabinet over the incident.

Earlier, Sidhu had also targeted the Railways, asking how a "clean chit" was given to the loco-pilot of the train within "one day".

Defending his wife, the Congress leader had said as soon as she got to know about the accident, she went to the hospital to visit the injured.

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Tuesday on a plea seeking a ban on manufacture and sale of firecrackers across the country to curb air pollution.

A bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, which had reserved its verdict on 28 August, will pronounce the judgement.

The apex court had earlier said there was a need to take into account all aspects, including the fundamental right of livelihood of firecracker manufacturers and the right to health of over 1.3 billion people in the country, while considering the plea.

The top court had said the Article 21 (right to life) of Constitution applied to both segments of people and it needed to maintain a balance while considering a countrywide ban on firecrackers.

It had asked the centre to suggest measures to be taken for curbing pollution and what would be the effect of firecrackers on the public at large.

The apex court had on 8 August said a spike in PM 2.5 levels in the air was a severe problem as the particulate matter remains in people's lungs, leading to serious health implications.

Firecracker makers had earlier told the court that the use of firecrackers should not be completely banned and it should instead be strictly regulated.

They contended that the crackers are not the reason for increase in air pollution and there are other factors, like wind and temperature, which contribute to it.

They also said that firecracker makers could be deprived of their right to do business based on statements which were not supported by facts.

On 9 October last year, the top court had temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali.

Later, the court refused to relax its order while dismissing a plea by traders who had sought permission to sell crackers for at least a day or two before Diwali on 19 October 2017.

The apex court said its ban order during Diwali that year was an experiment to examine its effect on the pollution levels in the region.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted the sale and use of low-emission firecrackers across the country subject to certain conditions.

On Diwali, crackers can be burst only for two hours, between 8 pm and 10 pm, said the court. On Christmas and New Year, people can burst firecrackers between 11:55 pm and 12:30 am, NDTV reported.

The court also ordered the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation to give clearance only to crackers that meet noise and emission standards, Hindustan Times said.

Crackers can only be sold through licence holders, and e-commerce websites will not be allowed to sell them.

The court was hearing a plea seeking a ban on manufacture and sale of firecrackers across the country to curb air pollution. A bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan pronounced the judgement.

On 9 October last year, the top court had temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali.

Later, the court refused to relax its order while dismissing a plea by traders who had sought permission to sell crackers for at least a day or two before Diwali on 19 October 2017.

The apex court said its ban order during Diwali that year was an experiment to examine its effect on the pollution levels in the region.

PTI contributed to this story.

The way he did it made me feel so trapped. It made me cry inconsolably any time I was alone because he only gave me two options: marry him or not even be friends anymore. "Melanie," recipient of a marriage ultimatum

Do you want to get married? Then how about telling your partner you’d like to get married and asking them what they want? Ryan Howes, psychologist

A retired schoolteacher in Assam's Darrang district allegedly took his life after the National Register of Citizens (NRC) sent him a notice declaring him a foreigner. Police recovered a suicide note and the notice from NRC from his shirt pocket.

According to Anandabazar Patrika, Niradbaran Das hung himself in his own house. In the suicide note he left, he declared no one in the family was responsible for his death and instructed his wife to pay off debts he owed to five people. A report on NDTV said that he owed Rs 1200 to each of these 5 persons.

Das' family said that he had suffering from trauma and anxiety ever since his name did not make it to the NRC second draft that was published earlier this year. The notice from the authorities declaring him a 'foreigner', the family said, was the last straw.

Das had completed his masters from Guwahati University and had taught in the school he attended himself as a student, for 34 years. He retired in 2012, Anandabazar Patrika reports.

NDTV reports that Das was recently served a notice by the Foreigner's Tribunal as well and he had two months to produce documents to prove his citizenship.

A students' group organised protests in Assam's Karupetia district after Das' death and shut down schools, colleges, markets and banks. The deceased's family also refused to let the body be taken for autopsy till the superintendent of the police assured them of a probe.

Amid a very public spat between the top two officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Prime Minister Narendra Modi summoned Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana on Monday.

It all started with an FIR filed by the CBI against its No. 2 officer Asthana, an unprecedented move by the investigative agency.

Here's all you need to know about the spat:

— The CBI booked Asthana in a bribery case, naming him as the prime accused in an FIR filed on 15 October.

— CBI alleged that Asthana may have taken a bribe through middleman Manoj Prasad to scuttle an investigation against meat exporter Moin Qureshi, who has a money laundering case against him.

— A special secretary in RAW, Samant Kumar Goel, is alleged to have helped seal the deal between Asthana and Qureshi.

— Reports suggest that Prasad has admitted before a magisterial court that he paid bribes to Asthana.

— Asthana's alleged role in the Qureshi case also came under the spotlight when Hyderabad-based Sana Satish Babu, a businessman who was also being questioned in the case, gave a statement to a Delhi magistrate.

— Hindustan Times reported that Babu alleged that middleman Manoj Prasad and his brother Somesh Prasad demanded Rs 5 crore to get Asthana to intervene in the Qureshi case. Babu, according to The Indian Express, is said to have paid the bribe to get relief from questioning in the case by Asthana.

— Asthana was leading an SIT probe against Qureshi and former CBI officer AP Singh (who was also removed for allegedly taking bribes from Qureshi).

— The Wirereported that Singh's involvement with Qureshi was discovered during Income Tax Department raids in the meat exporter's office in 2014. BlackBerry messages showed that Qureshi was in direct contact with Singh.

— The report says the case was handed over to Asthana in 2017 after Singh was removed.

Asthana's allegations against Alok Verma

— Before the FIR was filed against him, Asthana had accused his boss, CBI Director Verma, of falsely accusing him to protect Babu.

— In letters to the Cabinet Secretary and Central Vigilance Commission, Asthana had alleged that Verma and joint director Arun Kumar Sharma were trying to implicate him the case.

—Hindustan Times reports that Asthana alleged that an officer of "doubtful integrity" was visiting places in Gujarat to get information against him.

— The newspaper, in another report, quoted an anonymous CBI official as saying, "Sana Satish Babu is a suspect in the case registered against Moin Qureshi and AP Singh and the probe in the case is being supervised by special director Rakesh Asthana. Asthana, in his complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission, has accused CBI director Alok Verma of trying to help Sana Satish Babu. Asthana had filed the complaint before registration of the FIR in this regard."

— PTI reported that Asthana has also alleged that Verma delayed his team's request to arrest Babu in the case. Asthana claims that he had moved a file for Babu's arrest on 20 September 2018, which was held by CBI Director Verma and later referred to the Director of Prosecution, who demanded the evidence file.

— The PTI report said Asthana had claimed that it was his team which opened a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Babu, who was stopped at immigration and prevented from fleeing the country.

— A CBI spokesperson has, however, said that the allegations that Verma was not aware of the LOC issued against Babu were incorrect.

Who is Rakesh Asthana?

— Asthana is a 1984-batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer, who is the No. 2 official in the CBI, after Alok Verma.

— He was appointed to the CBI by the Modi government and also investigated the burning of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra in 2002.

— Asthana was heading the SIT that was looking into charges that the CBI's own officers were involved with Moin Qureshi.

— A source told The Printthat Asthana was one of the officers handpicked by the Modi government so it could wield control over the investigative agency.